Crossing the line
by SnowyPrecipice
Summary: Conrad wants what is best for his king. No particular point of view in this one.


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It was early in the morning, and as usual, Conrad was ready for his daily run. He wondered where Yuuri was; they always ran together, as long as Yuuri was still in Shin Makoku. The young Maou was probably tired after his extended session with Gunter the previous day, Conrad mused. The soldier decided to begin his run after Yuuri did not show up after ten minutes.

A minute later, he heard running footsteps behind him.

"I'm so sorry," Yuuri panted. "I slept in."

Conrad gave his trademark smile. "You don't have to exert yourself, Yuuri. You could have slept in."

Yuuri seemed pleased that Conrad called him by his name. "I _never_ miss our morning runs together." He stared firmly at the older man. Again Conrad smiled.

So they continued their run.

After Yuuri had run as much as he could (he noted, disgruntled, that Conrad was perfectly fine), they stopped to rest. Conrad looked at Yuuri in amusement, who was flushed and breathless. Yuuri noticed the other man gazing at him. Was it Conrad's imagination or did Yuuri seem to get a tad redder?

"Let's rest." Yuuri gasped, walking off to the garden and slumping down onto a stone bench. Conrad remained respectfully detached, standing beside him. Yuuri raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you going to sit?"

Conrad gave a slight nod and took a seat beside the flushed king. A gentle breeze began sweeping through the air. Yuuri sighed in delight, tilting his head back to enjoy the caress of the wind.

Yuuri opened an eye, glancing at Conrad. The soldier was leaning back, arms crossed, his eyes closed. Somehow, the man still seemed as alert as ever.

"Yes, Heika?" Conrad suddenly asked, fully aware of Yuuri's eyes on him. Yuuri jumped a little. "N-nothing. You just look nice with your hair swept back like that…" He mumbled, his voice getting softer and softer until all Conrad heard was 'you just look nice'.

"Thank you." Conrad gave a gentle smile. Yuuri looked down, appearing frustrated. Conrad noticed that his fists were clenched.

The young maou suddenly met Conrad's eyes. Conrad was surprised by the intensity in Yuuri's dark eyes.

"What's the matter?" Conrad asked tentatively.

"Nothing." Yuuri averted his eyes again, blushing.

"Conrad frowned, not in anger but in thought. He had a faint notion why Yuuri was acting like this. In fact, he had been behaving strangely for a while…

"Conrad…" The soft, shaky voice caused Conrad to look at Yuuri. Conrad was quiet, waiting for Yuuri to speak.

"I…" Yuuri was at a loss for words. Conrad realised that Yuuri had drawn much closer to him. How had he not noticed that? The young king reached out a hand to touch Conrad's face. Conrad could feel his hand trembling. Yuuri shifted closer.

Now the soldier _knew_ for sure what was on Yuuri's mind. As much as wanted to respond, he _couldn't_. First of all, Yuuri was still a teenager, unsure of his own feelings and Conrad was not about to take advantage of his king's uncertainty.

Secondly, Yuuri was the Maou and he was but a soldier, no matter how equally Yuuri treated him. There were restraints Conrad felt shouldn't be crossed…to be truthful, Conrad was a little apprehensive of overstepping that boundary. Besides, it would give his beloved king unnecessary distress, and Conrad didn't want that.

Yuuri leaned in, an inch away from Conrad's face. Conrad could almost hear Yuuri's heart thumping. The soldier was momentarily frozen when Yuuri's lips came dangerously near…

"Heika." Conrad said gently, keeping the tremor out of his voice.

"Yuuri blinked at the sudden formality, snapping out of a trance. He jerked backwards, quickly withdrawing his hand. He looked confused and disappointed.

"I don't know…"Yuuri swallowed. He searched Conrad's face for some kind of affection, but Conrad had a soldier's steady mask on.

Had Conrad no idea what he felt? Yuuri silently berated himself for ever going that _near _the line between friendship and well, something more.

"Sorry." Yuuri croaked. He hastily stood up and walked away briskly. He didn't want to let Conrad see any tears he was going to shed.

Conrad watched sadly as Yuuri walked away, the young king's body tense and his face crimson. He wished he could return his king's feelings, but Yuuri had so much to deal with right now and a delicate matter of the heart would not be the best thing for him.

The brown-haired man allowed himself a despairing sigh. Maybe, just _maybe_, he could cross that line in the future…

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_My third ConYuu fanfic. Comments/ constructive criticism greatly appreciated! Note: I just wanted to show the typical side of Conrad...I myself prefer a happy ending, but I wanted to try a fresh perspective. )_


End file.
